Toyota's 2012 recalls include a November 2012 recall of 670,000 2004-'09 Toyota Prius vehicles in the U.S. for steering and water pump problems. The automaker also recalled 150,000 2001-'04 Toyota Tacoma pickup trucks in November 2012 because the spare tire can detach from the vehicle.

NHTSA said in a statement that its recall tally "should not be interpreted as an indication of what NHTSA thinks of any particular manufacturer or its products."

"There are a host of reasons why a manufacturer could have more or fewer recalls in a given year or over time — including, but not limited to, the introduction of new technology, its barometer for measuring risk, which could be more conservative or liberal as contrasted to other manufacturers or the industry as a whole, or other variables."

NHTSA said manufacturers filed more than 650 safety recalls affecting over 17.8 million vehicles, child seats and vehicle equipment during 2012.

Edmunds says: This is the third time in the last four years that Toyota led in U.S. recalls.